Thieves are walking out of off-licences with boxes of booze in an area where police and councillors promised a clean-up six months ago.

Community leaders in Kemp Town, Brighton, are angry St James's Street remains as troubled by violence, theft and addiction as when they called an emergency meeting last September.

Police and council officials will be quizzed at a follow-up meeting later this month.

Traders have been horrified to see gangs of trouble-makers roaming the street daily, following successful regeneration of the area with many thriving cafes, bars and restaurants.

A ban on street drinking was introduced in the area in November 2001 before being extended across Brighton and Hove last September.

Alan Bond, chairman of the St James's Street Action Group, said the street drinkers had been replaced by drug dealers.

There are three homelessness and substance treatment centres nearby - the Equinox Centre, the Fitzherbert Centre and the New Steine Youth Hostel.

Dr Bond said: "Some of our residents think having those types of facilities in the area doesn't help residents or traders but nor does it help the addicts themselves.

"With off-licences and drug dealers so close, it can be very difficult for them to come off their habits.

"They're ready targets for the dealers, who are now gathering in large numbers."

Mike Dalley, owner of the Cardome shop in St James's Street, said: "We're back to where we were last summer.

"We've got gangs roaming the streets and literally going into the Co-op, picking up cases of beer and walking off down the street with them.

"You can't blame the Co-op, they've put in a security guard in the evenings and tried to cordon off the alcohol. And you can't expect a young employee to challenge someone who might end up knifing them.

"It's down to the fact our area is being blighted significantly."

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the city's community safety forum, insisted it was unrealistic to expect the treatment centres to be moved.

She said there were more uniformed police community support officers patrolling the area and better radio links between traders to report drug dealers.

A meeting to discuss the problem will be held at the Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, off St James's Street, next Monday at 7pm.